Color Intensity Projections: A simple way to display changes in astronomical images

To detect changes in repeated astronomical images of the same field of view (FOV), a common practice is to stroboscopically switch between the images. Using this method, objects that are changing in location or intensity between images are easier to see because they are constantly changing. A novel display method, called arrival time color intensity projections (CIPs), is presented that combines any number of grayscale images into a single color image on a pixel by pixel basis. Any values that are unchanged over the grayscale images look the same in the color image. However, pixels that change over the grayscale image have a color saturation that increases with the amount of change and a hue that corresponds to the timing of the changes. Thus objects moving in the grayscale images change from red to green to blue as they move across the color image. Consequently, moving objects are easier to detect and assess on the color image than on the grayscale images. A sequence of images of a comet plunging into the sun taken by the SOHO satellite (NASA/ESA) and Hubble Space Telescope images of a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) are used to demonstrate the method.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The quality of figure 1 been improved from the previous posted versio

Global phase synchronization in an array of time-delay systems

We report the identification of global phase synchronization (GPS) in a linear array of unidirectionally coupled Mackey-Glass time-delay systems exhibiting highly non-phase-coherent chaotic attractors with complex topological structure. In particular, we show that the dynamical organization of all the coupled time-delay systems in the array to form GPS is achieved by sequential synchronization as a function of the coupling strength. Further, the asynchronous ones in the array with respect to the main sequentially synchronized cluster organize themselves to form clusters before they achieve synchronization with the main cluster. We have confirmed these results by estimating instantaneous phases including phase difference, average phase, average frequency, frequency ratio and their differences from suitably transformed phase coherent attractors after using a nonlinear transformation of the original non-phase-coherent attractors. The results are further corroborated using two other independent approaches based on recurrence analysis and the concept of localized sets from the original non-phase-coherent attractors directly without explicitly introducing the measure of phase.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, Appear in Physical Review

Metacognitive Decision Making Framework for Multi-UAV Target Search Without Communication

This paper presents a new Metacognitive Decision Making (MDM) framework inspired by human-like metacognitive principles. The MDM framework is incorporated in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployed for decentralized stochastic search without communication for detecting stationary targets (fixed/sudden pop-up) and dynamic targets. The UAVs are equipped with multiple sensors (varying sensing capability) and search for targets in a largely unknown area. The MDM framework consists of a metacognitive component and a self-cognitive component. The metacognitive component helps to self-regulate the search with multiple sensors addressing the issues of "which-sensor-to-use", "when-to-switch-sensor", and "how-to-search". Each sensor possesses inverse characteristics for the sensing attributes like sensing range and accuracy. Based on the information gathered by multiple sensors carried by each UAV, the self-cognitive component regulates different levels of stochastic search and switching levels for effective searching. The lower levels of search aim to localize the search space for the possible presence of a target (detection) with different sensors. The highest level of a search exploits the search space for target confirmation using the sensor with the highest accuracy among all sensors. The performance of the MDM framework with two sensors having low accuracy with wide range sensor for detection and increased accuracy with low range sensor for confirmation is evaluated through Monte-Carlo simulations and compared with six multi-UAV stochastic search algorithms (three self-cognitive searches and three self and social-cognitive based search). The results indicate that the MDM framework is efficient in detecting and confirming targets in an unknown environment.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 9 table

Morphological characterization of Indian turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) genotypes using DUS descriptor

Fifteen genotypes of turmeric, a commercially important crop having nutraceutical and pharmaceutical value, were characterized for 24 characters in the form of multiscale scores given by DUS guidelines. Among the characters studied, three genotypes were found to be monomorphic, 12 were dimporphic and nine were polymorphic characteristics. Apart from the DUS characters, there were some noticeable variation in the selected genotypes which can act as morphological markers for identification of genotypes; they are collar girth of the pseudostem, pigmentation in leaf lamina at initial stage which fades off in later stage and red pigmentation in emerging shoot at initial stage of sprouting. The morphological characterization of genotypes will help in linking a character to a specific trait, with potential in utilization for trait specific selection

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of conjugated bile salt hydrolase from Bifidobacterium longum

Conjugated bile salt hydrolase (BSH) catalyses the hydrolysis of the amide bond that conjugates bile acids to glycine and to taurine. The BSH enzyme from Bifidobacterium longum was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), purified and crystallized. Crystallization conditions were screened using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Crystal growth, with two distinct morphologies, was optimal in experiments carried out at 303 K. The crystals belong to the hexagonal system, space group P622 with unit-cell parameters a = b = 124.86, c = 219.03 Angstrom, and the trigonal space group P321, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 125.24, c = 117.03 Angstrom. The crystals diffracted X-rays to 2.5 Angstrom spacing. Structure determination using the multiple isomorphous replacement method is in progress

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of conjugated bile salt hydrolase from Bifidobacterium longum

Conjugated bile salt hydrolase (BSH) catalyses the hydrolysis of the amide bond that conjugates bile acids to glycine and to taurine. The BSH enzyme from Bifidobacterium longum was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), purified and crystallized. Crystallization conditions were screened using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Crystal growth, with two distinct morphologies, was optimal in experiments carried out at 303 K. The crystals belong to the hexagonal system, space group P622 with unit-cell parameters a = b = 124.86, c = 219.03 Angstrom, and the trigonal space group P321, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 125.24, c = 117.03 Angstrom. The crystals diffracted X-rays to 2.5 Angstrom spacing. Structure determination using the multiple isomorphous replacement method is in progress

A Study on Impact of Dividend Policy on Initial Public Offering Price Performance

This study examines the impact of dividend policy on the performance of initial public offerings in India. The period of study is from the year 2011-2014. Monthly returns of the IPOs issued in the considered period and the Indian Stock Market Index (Nifty 50) were considered for the long-run performance study. The methodological tools used are long-run performance statistics and the GARCH model. The Dummy variable was used to measure the effect of dividends on the IPOs. The study reveals that the dividend policy has no significant effect on the stock prices of IPO.Comment: 7 PAGES 6 FIGURES 6 TABLES PUBLISHED IN Journal of Engineering and Applied Science

Analysis of Postmortem Examination in Exhumed Cases Done in and Around Bangalore, India for 10 Years: A Retrospective Study

Background: Exhumation is the process of removing the dead body from the grave. The reasons and time limit for exhumation may vary from country to country. After receiving a request from the Magistrate, exhumation followed by postmortem is done to gain essential evidence. To comprehensively analyze the exhumation cases done in Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, and how exhumation followed by postmortem examination aids in finding the cause of death.Methods: All cases of exhumations performed for 10 years (from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021) in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, were studied retrospectively. The essential data were collected from requisition forms, exhumation, and postmortem reports. The results were obtained after tabulating, and data were analyzed with an observational method.Results: A total of 37 exhumation cases were done during the study period. Young males in the age group of 21 to 30 years were the major population. Out of 37 cases, the cause of death was established in 25 cases (68%).Conclusion: Analysis of postmortem examination in exhumed cases gives much information from a medicolegal point of view to determine the cause and reveal the mysteries behind the manner of death. Hence it is not a vain procedure

Determination of Median Tolerance Limit (LC50) of Clarias batrachus for Cadmium Chloride and Mercuric Chloride

Industries are the major sources of heavy metal pollution and it is released into water and soil. Heavy metals cause several ill effects to aquatic living organisms and environment. The acute toxicity of chosen metals (Cadmium and Mercury) against fresh water Clarias batrachus (Cat fish) and the chronic toxicity of sublethal concentrations of heavy metals on the different organs such as liver, gill, muscle, kidney and brain of the chosen fresh water fish. Adult cat fish treated separately with Cadmium Chloride (CdCl2) and Mercury Chloride (HgCl2) for 24, 48, 72, and 96hr at different dose levels showed significant behavioral changes in the Lethal concentration were determined by probit analysis method. The LC 50 values for CdCl2, HgCl2 were found as 8.21ppm, 1.85ppm; respectively. Among the toxicants selected, HgCl2 is more toxic than CdCl2 in cat fish